Jordan: Public transport fares to rise

Public transport fares are to rise in Jordan after the government increased the cost of fuel and gas on Tuesday. Prices will go up by as much as 11 per cent although the taxi drivers union has urged increase of up to 20 per cent.

Fares for diesel-fuelled and gasoline-run public transport vehicles across the country rose by 11 per cent and 9 per cent respectively as of Wednesday, according to the Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) and the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM).

LTRC Director General Jamil Mujahid stressed the need for all operators to abide by the new tariffs, which will be posted on the LTRC website, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Also on Wednesday, GAM decided to raise fares of public transport vehicles operating in the capital by the same percentage, according to a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Earlier in the day, the Transport Services and Taxi Owners Union and owners of taxis and services taxis urged the government to increase their fares by 15-20 per cent after its decision to lift subsidies on fuel derivatives.

The call came amid a work stoppage by service taxis in downtown Amman, which brought traffic to a complete halt in the area.

"Everything will become more expensive after the government lifted subsidies. The issue is not just about fuel becoming more expensive. The whole situation is intolerable currently," the father of six said.

Another service taxi driver in down town Amman who participated in the protest agreed.

Several Jordanians on Wednesday complained that taxi drivers had started charging higher rates before the government increased their tariffs.

"I took a taxi from Hai Nazzal to Jabal Al Hussein, where I work as an accountant. Usually it costs me JD1.5, but this morning the taxi driver told me he will add JD0.30 for each JD1 on the meter," Ruba Ali told The Jordan Times over the phone.

"I read in the news that the government will increase the prices as of next week, but I decided pay the extra money as the traffic jam in the morning was horrible and I did not want to be late for work," Ali said.

In March this year, the LTRC raised public transport fares by 6 per cent.

At the time, Mujahid said the increase was meant to do justice to both operators and citizens, noting that the commission had not amended public transport fares since 2010 in spite of increases in fuel prices and living costs that had an impact on the transport sector.

Ahmad Abu Haidar, the union's president, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that the government should increase public transport tariffs by about 15 per cent.

"Fuel represents about 35 per cent of the operational cost for cabs and service taxis," Abu Haidar added.

There are about 17,000 taxis in Jordan, about 12,000 of which are in Amman, and more than 4,250 service (shared) taxis, according to LTRC figures.